


Day 16- Strangulation

by Broken_Clover



Series: Goretober 2019 [15]
Category: Guilty Gear
Genre: Alternate Universe, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Strangulation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-17
Updated: 2019-10-17
Packaged: 2020-12-20 23:07:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21064694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Broken_Clover/pseuds/Broken_Clover
Summary: Venom attempts to take on a new recruit for the Guild.





	Day 16- Strangulation

Venom wasn’t entirely sure what to think when a beaten-up, bloodstained stranger tore into the main hall of the Guild headquarters on all fours, screaming bloody murder, only to beat the living hell out of six agents standing guard before promptly passing out on the carpet. He was aware that his status as Guild leader had been rather short, but he was very sure that this was abnormal, even for them.

Once the injured agents had been sent away for treatment, Venom allowed himself to get a better look at their peculiar guest. Despite his prowess, he didn’t exactly look like the fighting type. It probably had something to do with the numerous hearts and his...unusual variety of clothing. But then again, he of all people knew that looks were never a true indication of ability. Perhaps this stranger may make for an excellent agent in the future?

He knew that in better circumstances, the process for taking in new members would be much more structured and low-key. It wasn’t much of a surprise that the Guild was currently far from its heyday, despite Venom’s best efforts, and if an opportunity came, they needed to take it, even if it wasn’t the most clean process.

“...ah!”

Venom tensed at the sound. He did his best to appear relaxed, sitting up straight in his chair and crossing one leg over the other. The man on the floor managed to get his bearings after a minute, and stumbled to his feet, only to take note of his unfamiliar surroundings.

“You’ve come to…” He wondered if he could have managed something eloquent. But good leaders didn’t have doubts, so he buried the thought.

“Um...where am I?” Relatively polite stranger, at least. His tone was thick with confusion and a twinge of fear as he looked up at Venom.

He gave an elegant little sweep of the hand. “The headquarters of the Assassins’ Guild.”

“Assassins…?”

“I saw you fighting just now.” Venom said. You’re quite skilled...would you be interested in joining us?

“...Guild?”

He still sounded very disoriented. Had this been a mistake? 

No! No, not a mistake. It would only be a mistake if he failed. And he couldn’t fail or succeed until he’d judged the man’s fighting capabilities.

Venom stood up, snatching up his pool cue and approaching. “Hmm. I hate to do this right after you wake up...but I need to test you.”

The stranger seemed confused by his words, at least until a glowing array of pool balls appeared in the air. He looked something like a scared animal, not helped by his decision to turn tail and attempt to run with a terrified shriek.

“Get back here!” Running away wasn’t exactly promising. Assassins didn't run. The door had been locked beforehand, and Venom was the only one with a key out of the hall. It made for a perfect improvised fighting area.

He fired a quick shot slightly above the man’s head, pulling his attention away from the door that wouldn’t open. A real enemy wouldn’t have bothered with a warning shot, but Venom was curious as to how he’d respond.

The reactions continued to be not especially promising. He pressed his back to the door, curling up into a terrified little ball and shivering. Venom actually stopped himself, leaving his floating balls on standby as he prodded the man with the end of his pool cue.

“Are you going to fight…?”

“No, no, no, please leave me alone-”

Venom rolled his eyes and knelt down, poking harder. Maybe it would have been a good time to just give this whole thing up. Maybe the whole thing had just been a weird fluke? At this point it felt more like bullying a small animal rather than any kind of real training-

Any more thought he had vanished with the sensation of something hard _biting_ him on the hand.

He yelped and drew back, watching blood seep into his punctured gloves. A pitch-black dog had appeared, growling and glaring with red eyes.

“W-what the- ?!”

The man on the floor uncurled once again, though there was something definitely different about his expression. Venom watched him stand up, turn around, and, with a gut-wrenching _crack_ he appeared to break his spine in two and droop over, staring at him while upside-down.

_“SKREEEEEEEE!”_

Venom wasn’t sure if he was pleased or incredibly disturbed. Either way, there was a threat now. He gestured with his cue, sending a few balls down that were blocked by the sudden appearance of a large sword. The man somehow managed to lean over further and let his hands reach the ground, and he began scuttling towards Venom like some sort of deranged insect.

He ran. It was safer for him to have some distance. Though if he was pressed to admit it, Venom did find the sight before him rather horrifying. It felt like witnessing Zato’s puppeteered corpse all over again, except the twisting mass of flesh was still warm and moving. And in a way, that might have made it worse.

Ironic, really, just a minute ago he’d been running from Venom, and now he was the one running for his life.

As he ducked back behind the high chair, volleying a few more projectiles to keep his opponent distracted, he swiped up a length of heavy-duty chain. He’d been planning on saving it for Slayer, but it seemed that he had a need for it right now. 

He narrowly dodged another bite from the demonic dog, and the giant sword managed to leave a nasty dent in his cue before he could properly parry it. The man appeared to be controlling them remotely, but it wasn’t a technique Venom was familiar with. There were no glowing runes or muttered incantations, just the objects appearing in a burst of blue light.

At least, the man himself seemed to be much weaker, relying on those tools to fight. Finding a way to keep the sword and dog distracted with his balls, Venom lunged, quickly wrapping the metal around his throat and tugging.

Something slimy oozed onto his clothing as he pulled, but the assassin didn’t budge. He kept his projectiles busy as the summons slowly began to fade out of existence. Just as he thought. If the summoner was incapacitated, they would vanish.

Even with all of his assassin training, Venom still didn’t like the sound of choking. It wasn’t quite as bad as his aversion to blood, but there was a reason why he preferred quick, clean methods. The feeling of something squirming against him, trying to escape while suffocating and losing strength never stopped being uncomfortable for him. He simply held on tighter, pressing his eyes shut and focusing on the task, until his opponent went limp against the metal.

As soon as he noticed the lack of movement, Venom undid his grip. A set of deep red marks marred the skin from how he pulled, but based on his shallow, disturbed breathing, he hadn’t managed to crush his windpipe. 

He pulled out the hallway key and went to go undo the lock. Several agents were waiting on the other side, apparently listening in on the fight with bated breath.

There was no need to punish them this time. Venom gestured to the crumpled figure lying on the carpet. “Get him out of here.”

“Would you like up to dispose of him, Lord Venom?”

He thought for a moment. “No. Have the mages attend to any of his injuries, then have them report to me afterwards. He may not be agent material, but I may yet still have a use for him.”

**Author's Note:**

> To be continued on day 18!


End file.
